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Her career included spells as deputy head at Nunthorpe School and headteacher of Brackenhoe School in Middlesbrough , as well as heading up the town’s Education Action Zone.

She eventually went on to create national teaching programmes such as TEEP (the Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme) and then to The Gatsby Charitable Trust, run by Lord Sainsbury.

But in June 2013, while in remission from bowel cancer, she received the devastating leukaemia diagnosis.

She died, aged 65, on December 1, 2013.

Antonia, senior leader (director of English) at Stockton’s Ian Ramsey Academy, said: “Ordinarily, people with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia rarely live three days past diagnosis, but mum fought it for six months. She was amazing - she fought and fought and never gave up.

“During that time, I couldn’t bear to keep telling people what had happened every day at hospital so about two weeks after she fell ill, I started to write a blog.

“At first mum said ‘you’re doing what?’ But when I explained what it was and she read it, she said ‘it’s quite good, this’, which was high praise from mum! Then she encouraged me to get it published.”

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Antonia, a mum to daughters Liliana, 10, and Alba, six, admitted she “couldn’t bear to read it at the time” - “I’d get home exhausted and write my emotions into the blog, but I certainly didn’t think about having it published.”

But last year, she says: “It was nagging away at me that it was there and I hadn’t done anything about it, so I sent it out to publishers.”

Austin Macauley Publishers took it on and “I Stand Amazed” - the name of Dee’s favourite hymn - is now available to buy from Amazon and several book shops, including Drake The Bookshop in Stockton.

Antonia, of Eaglescliffe, said: “It’s been a long, emotional journey, but it’s what mum told me to do and who am I to argue with her?

“Hopefully it will make some money for Bloodwise. But if you are going through anything like what we went through, it’s also nice to know there’s someone else out there - to see the journey, follow it through and know what it’s like.”

• “I Stand Amazed” is priced £8,99, with a cheaper Kindle edition, from Amazon, some bookshops and direct from Austin Macauley Publishers.